Sivan Askayo’s Hanoi Top 5

August 14, 2014

We have long been fans of photographer and adventurer, Sivan Askayo and we were thrilled when she offered to tell us about her favorite spots in Hanoi. Lucky for us she also shared some of her stunning street photography, capturing the life of the city’s people and places…

“I’ve always wanted to travel to Vietnam. An image of lanterns in Hoi An, that I came across in a photography magazine, encouraged me to book my flight. Sometimes a photographer will go on a journey just to reach a single image that inspired them. I arrived the end of January, three years ago, in the midst of the Tet Holiday (the Vietnamese New Year). The streets were humming and buzzing with traffic. At the beginning I thought it was because of the holiday. Eventually I realized it was simply Vietnam: a steady stream of motorbikes, rickshaws and cars. Crossing the streets I would sometimes I hold my breath, praying silently I would make it safely to the other side. 

Vietnam is a beautiful and fascinating country. The street food is fresh and delicious, the people are inviting and friendly and the culture is captivating. Here are my 5 top things to do and see in Hanoi, the Northern Capital.”

1. Write a Prayer and a Wish at the Temple of Literature

On the outskirts of Hanoi’s Old Quarter you’ll find the Temple of Literature (located to the south of the Fine Arts Museum at Pho Quoc Tu Giam street). The building used to be the school for the elite of Vietnam and served as the country’s first university. The name ‘Temple of Literature’ was given at the beginning of the 19th century. These days it serves as a place where people, mostly students, come to write their prayers and wishes. Dozens of calligraphic artists sit outside the temple, offering their skills to the hundreds of students and visitors who come to pray for success. Students mostly ask for a success in their studies, and the Tet Holiday is the perfect time to ask for success and good luck in the year ahead. The temple is an homage to Confucius, arranged in a series of courtyards and linked with narrow paths. As crowded as it can be, there remains a peaceful and spiritual atmosphere.

2. Light Incense at Tran Quoc Pagoda. 

There are hundreds pagodas across Vietnam, but one of the most beautiful is Hanoi’s Tran Quoc Pagoda, located on the banks of the Red River. Built in 1639, it is perhaps the oldest pagoda in Hanoi. During the Tet Holiday it is bustling with locals lighting incense and bringing fruits and fake money to offer to their Gods. 

3. Visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, if you can handle it.

Walking distance from Tran Quac Pagoda, is the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Presidential Palace. People warned me about visiting, saying that it might be strange to see the preserved body of Ho Chi Minh. Take that in to consideration and, if you do end up going, make sure to check the opening hours, dress code and strict rules.

4. Visit the Hanoi Hilton.

It is definitely not a beautiful nor a spiritual location, but I highly recommend paying a visit to Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the infamous Hanoi Hilton. The prison was used by the French to imprison and torture Vietnamese revolutionaries, and later it was used by the Vietnamese to imprison American pilots.

5. Get Lost in One of Hanoi’s ’36 Streets’ 

Hanoi is a busy, noisy and crowded city, an easy place to get lost. If you want to find your way around the city’s Old Quarter, I recommend booking a short walking tour. Hanoi City Tours offers free tours led by local students who want to improve their English and introduce foreigners to Hanoi. There are various tours, but I chose to have my guided tour in the Old Quarter. Known as the  ’36 Streets’, this labyrinth of streets evolved in the 13th century when artisan guilds were clustered by specialty along each of the original 36 lanes. There was the silver street (the place to find everything from silver jewelry to gravestones), the silk street, the mat street, the paper street etc. Originally, each of the 36 guilds had their own communal houses. However, like most of the city’s pagoda and temples, these houses were shut down during the communist takeover and transformed into schools or public housing.